מלכים א, פרק ט״ו, פסוק י״ג

King Asa's religious purification reform extended to the highest levels of government, reaching even his immediate family. The king took an unusual and decisive step against his mother, Maacah, due to her deep involvement in pagan worship. He approached her removal with the same strictness he applied to the idols themselves, eliminating her influence alongside them [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. It is even possible that Maacah was viewed as part of the idolatrous system itself, either because people bowed to her directly or because she served as a cultic prostitute [מלבי״ם]. To stop her from inciting the nation and dragging the people further into idol worship [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג], the king completely stripped her of her official royal status and ruling power [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The direct cause for her public demotion was a shocking structure she had added to the Asherah cult [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that this idol was designed to inspire terror and shock, reflecting the way idol worship brings fear and trouble upon its followers [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, רד״ק]. In contrast, a different perspective rooted in the teachings of the Sages views the idol as an expression of immorality and mockery, describing it as a male-shaped statue with which Maacah engaged in daily sexual acts [רש״י].

Because the statue was likely made of wood, Asa was able to chop it down and burn it [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He carried out this burning and threw the resulting ashes into the Kidron Valley to ensure the object was entirely eradicated. This complete destruction was necessary because there is an absolute prohibition against gaining any benefit from an idol or its ashes.